On the 14th October the Battalion was taken out of the line and marched to
Noeux-les-Mines, where it entrained for Lillers. Here the men were
accommodated in houses in the centre of the town in the vicinity of the
Church and the Rue Fanien. The billets were good, the parades not severe,
and several of the officers who were well quartered felt to some extent
the comforts of a home. The training area was near Burbure, where the
Battalion had trained for the battle. Many faces were missing that had
been present at the jovial little gatherings that had taken place before
the battle, and the survivors wondered at times who would be wanting at
the next divisional rest.

As the parades were not onerous, there was plenty of time for recreation.
Concerts were arranged in the local concert hall at which the latent
talent of the Battalion came into evidence. Leave opened, and the prospect
of a trip to England was cheering to those who expected one. The rest at
Lillers was pleasantly spent and it was a long time before the men enjoyed
a similar holiday.

On the 15th November the Battalion paraded on the Church Square and then
marched to Houchin, a particularly dirty little village, where a week was
spent. From there it went to Brigade Reserve in the mining village of
Philosophe, in which, though very close to the line, a few civilians still
remained. Butter, milk and other articles of food could be obtained from
the French shop-keepers, and English newspapers could be bought in the
streets the day after publication. It was a fairly quiet place, though
one's hours were punctuated by the intermittent firing of a battery of
4·7 guns in the colliery in rear, which fired over the billets.

One of the Regular battalions of the 3rd Infantry Brigade was too weak in
numbers to do trench duty, and the 9th had the honour of replacing it, and